White As Snow
by Lady Geuna
Summary: When the weather in the end causes the two to be stuck with each other, Haru begins seeing Kyou in a different light and vise versa, and in the end the two will become closer than anyone ever thought possible. But will Kyou allow it? HaruKyou ?, others
1. Important story info and disclaimers

If "chapter two" isn't showing on this page as an option, here's a trick if you haven't figured it out already. Type &chapter=2 at the end of the present URL address, or type &chapters=2 to jumpstart the damn thing. Sometimes this site can mess with you like that.

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Disclaimer: Fruits Baskets does not belong to me, though I would really LOVE it if it did. ^_^'

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INFO TO KNOW BEFORE READING: 

The Japanese school system works like this. 6 years on elementary school, 3 years of junior high school and then 3 years of high school (elementary and junior high mandatory).

At the beginning of the series of Fruits Basket, Yuki, Kyou and Tohru are 1st years in high school, and Hatsuharu and Momiji are 3rd years at a different junior high school. When Yuki, Kyou and Tohru become 2nd years, Haru and Momiji transfer schools and start their first terms as new high school students along with them.

In THIS story it is some time since the TV series ends (June of 1999), and some point between late January/late February (about 18-19 months later), where the school term will end in March, and Yuki, Kyou, Tohru and the rest will graduate to possibly move on to college. Haru will graduate to become a high school 3rd year, or a "senior."

Yuki, Kyou and Tohru are about 18-19-years-old, Haru is about 17-18-years-old.

In the time that has passed since the series ended, two New Years celebrations have taken place. Hatori and Ayame have both participated in a ceremonial dance for their designated years: 2000, the year of the dragon (Hatori), and 2001, the year of the snake, (Ayame).

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	2. White As Snow: Part 1

This is a ONE-SHOT fic. I had planned on it being a multi-chapter fic a long time ago, but now that I found it on my computer, I figured I'd just post it all at one... But then, I realized the file was WAY too long, so I split it up as best I could. Hope my grammar is okay, though proofing the whole thing is taking a looong time.

So you know, this first part is "Basic FLUFF" for now. I don't like rushing things when I'm aiming for canon. Please-please-PLEASE don't expect Kyou to fling himself into Haru's arm or Black Haru to start gettin' freaky on him bump. All in due time. -~_~-

Enjoy.

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Title: White As Snow 

Author: Lady Geuna

Rating: PG-13 - for light cursing, Kyou and Haru can have bad mouths

Pairing (s): Haru/Kyou (?) Hatori/Tohru (?) -- one-sided Yuki/Tohru, Kyou/Tohru, Haru/Yuki, Haru/Rin

Genre: Drama/Angst (because I love them) Also a little Humor, since the series itself is a comedy, but I want to make it clear that it isn't the focus of the story.

Full Summary: When the weather in the end causes the two to be stuck with each other, Haru begins seeing Kyou in a different light and vise versa, and the two become closer than ever thought possible. But will Kyou ever allow it? Will he even take it? 

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White As Snow: Part 1 "Unexpected Visitors"

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"Silence, so much more tiresome than loneliness, is a labyrinth."

Lyrics ~ Blue Seed ~ Carnival Babel

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And it began one snowy day...

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Snow beat and wind howled against the thin walls of the house…

Kyou sat frowning, starring off into space. 'Where are they...?'

__

*Flashback*

"Should we wake him...?"

'Eh...?' Kyou's senses slowly began to come back to him as arrived again in the world of the waking... Urgh, he'd fallen asleep! He was only to chapter 10...

"Iie, Honda-san. We should leave now, we don't have that much time." 

'What was that damn mouse talking about...? Oh yeah... snow... We were going to go shopping for supplies... Damn, don't want to get up yet...' The Kotatsu (1a) was so warm...

There was the sound of a sliding door opening, and Kyou felt a cold chill, followed by Yuki's voice again, saying, "Look, it's started snowing already." 

"Kuso nezumi..."

Yuki cool violet eyes turned on him suddenly, narrowing when they saw that Kyou was awake. "Urusai, baka neko. We thought you were asleep."

"Your stupid, annoying voice must've woken me up," he replied bitterly. He had to mumble in an effort not to yawn, much to his own embarrassment, and he had yet to make a move from his place under the mat and heater. It was too warm... "Don't keep the door open, you're letting in cold air," he snapped out, though now as viciously as he would've hoped.

Tohru suddenly appear there next to Yuki, her face lit up. "Kyou-kun, you're awake. You look so tired you should stay here. Sohma-kun and I will head right back, ne?"

*End Flashback*

And that was that. He'd stayed, watching for a bit until Tohru and Yuki has disappeared from the room, grunted to himself, then tried going back to reading. He had to finish it, he'd thought. No time like the present, and who knows if school was still on or not...

He, of course, hadn't been expecting that yet another person in the house would shortly be leaving him to venture out into the cold.

__

*Flashback*

"Eyaaa, gomen, Kyou-kun! I promised Mit-chan, and a gentlemen never disappoints a lady."

Kyou snorted. 'Sure... Too bad you're no gentleman...' "You heard_ what Tohru and Yuki said, right? You'll get stuck out there!"_

"Hai, hai!" Shigure grinned and ruffled Kyou orange hair in an affectionate, playful manner. "My, Kyou-chaaan, I didn't think you'd be so worried about me! I'm touched beyond expression!"

Kyou hissed, bating the other man's hand away. "Like hell! Just go, already!"

"Hai, hai! Happy reading, Kyou-kun! And don't forget to sleep like Tohru-san said!"

"Sure, sure..."

And so he left into the lightly falling snow...

*End Flashback*

So Kyou was left alone with a book, a heating table, and a very, very quiet house. A _very_ quiet house... In fact, it was so damn quiet it was nearly driving him insane! "Kuso..."

It had been nearly two hours already since everyone had left. Time had really flown while he was reading, and it felt like the room was getting colder and colder by the moment. And no, he wasn't worried about them. It's their own fault that they decided to do something so stupid as go outside with a storm coming. Serves them right!

Oddly enough, Kyou couldn't believe himself.

Kyou managed to force himself to leave the warm, heated blankets ('So warm...') and sleepily wander out of the room and toward the front sliding door. Damn, he was cranky... and sitting in one spot for so long make his legs and back ache. Nevertheless he made it to the front door open and opened it. 

And it was, for the lack of a better term, a Winter Wonderland... A Winter F*cking _Wonderland_! Where'd all the damn snow _come _from?

"Dammit..."

__

No one was coming home this afternoon...

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Tohru couldn't shake it, this worried feeling. It was too much! "Sohma-kun... Do you think Kyou-kun will be okay?"

Yuki looked up from where he was seated near the front entrance. Under normal circumstances, the door would automatically open when detecting movement, but the store had been closed down with the unexpected coming of... well, _much_ more snow _far_ earlier than the weatherman had predicted. They were never right when it mattered the most. Now they were stuck in the food store, snow gradually accumulating just outside, and Yuki could make out at least 4-5 young girls (A few of the many who were also stuck there by the snow) eyeing him from around corners, through and over the tops of shelves... 

But he shook his head, trying to ignore that for now. He looked to Tohru, offering a soft smile. "Hai. Kyou's in a warm house, he should me fine if he stays where he is. Unless he decides to wander out into the snow..." And that was very unlikely. 

Tohru still looked very doubtful. "But do you think there's enough food...? I mean, that's what we're where to get, right? What happens if we're stuck here for a week! He'll run out of food! The milk will expire!" 

He sighed. "Kyou can cook for himself, and if he's smart enough to ration ("If he needs to, which I very much doubt.") he'll have plenty of food to last him that time (" But we _do_ have enough food at home, Honda-san..."). And he can surely live without milk for a few days." Then he smiled, adding jokingly. "Besides, I doubt he'll starve to death while we're away. It's not like we'll find his skeleton when we get back."

Yuki realized he'd said something very wrong a second later.

Tohru now had her hands on her cheeks, her face stricken and starring off into space. For her, a gruesome image filled her innocent mind of Kyou's skeleton (complete with orange cat ears), lying on the kitchen floor, with one bony, fleshless hand grasping onto dried out milk carton. 

She whimpered. "Oh, Kyou-kun..."

Yuki smiled a little to himself, shaking him head. Tohru worried far to much about others, sometimes... Though... He could still remember the physical and mental exhaustion he'd seen in Kyou's eyes before they'd left... He had been working himself too hard. 'You had better take care of yourself, Kyou...' Aloud he muttered, "Baka neko, you worry her too much," before turning to calm down Tohru.

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He wasn't sure when he had drifted off to sleep, but according to the wall clock it was 6 p.m. ... 

Kyou had been sleeping for _three_ _hours_.

He groaned, letting his head thump down into the table board, then lifted his head again to glare at the book. "Your fault for being so damn _boring_."

He had to stay awake… Just enough to get through chapter 12, then he could take a nap… And _man_ was he thirsty. Yeah, a drink would help…

Almost mechanically Kyou stood and left the room, clutching the blanket around his shoulders to try and make up for the heat he lost by leaving his warm spot. He trudged through the door, spotting the front door mat for a moment, noticing a pair of shoes neatly sitting there. They were tall, black, with dozens of buckles, and didn't look at all like anything someone in Shigure's house would wear… Wait, on second thought, that pervert dog seems constantly willing to trying something new. 

Turning into the kitchen he was annoyed to find that the lights had been left on, and it was just bright enough to make his eyes irritated… Grumbling something incoherent, he grabbed the door to refrigerator and swung it wide open, becoming ever more aggravated to find that even the _refrigerator_ light was even brighter than the freaking _room_! Everyone and everything was against him!!!

__

Hate snow…

Sighing, Kyou took out the milk carton, opened it, and took a nice, long gulp. 'Aaaaaaah, sugagashi (blissfully wonderful) de…' One… perfect… moment-

"You know it's not at all polite to drink directly from the carton."

That instant of tranquillity was then instantly shattered as he found himself startled out of his wits, and on top of that choking and coughing so hard he could feel his face going red and his lungs starting to burn. That is until he was at last collected enough to practically throw the carton back in the refrigerator door, slam it shut, and wheel around to face the person (intruder?) who had spoken.' Who the-!?'

"HARU!"

"Kyou."

Silence…

"… Wait-a-minute…" Hatsuharu… was sitting on the floor of Shigure's kitchen… legs crossed… sitting on his white jacket like some sort of sitting mat… sipping from a steaming mug…

Haru in turn was just starring right back at him, and obviously seeing that Kyou was too busy thinking for the moment, decided to speak first. "I didn't think anyone was home." Sip.

Kyou growled. "Where'd you come from!? What are you drinking!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

Haru gave him a lazy look, taking another sip of tea before continuing. "I was running late getting back home," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, "and lost my bike in the snow." Sip. "Ended up here. I called out when I came in, but no one answered, so I thought everyone was out somewhere. I tried using the phone, but the line was dead." 

Kyou blinked. The phone lines were _gone_…? 

"So," Haru continued, "I found the kitchen and made myself some tea." Sip. "It's really tasty, you can have some if you'd like." He gestured to the stove, where a steaming pot kettle stood on the still cooling surface.

"…."

Perfect… Just PERFECT! Why can't these things happen to another family!? Why is it always the cursed people and not everyone else, DAMMIT!!

Of course all Kyou wanted to do was shriek, "GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS HOUSE _NOW_!!!"

But that would be rude... That and he was far too tired to even bother using the energy.

"I'm going to go read now," he said tiredly, "just shut-up and leave me alone, got that?"

So he just turned around and strode right back out of the room, having unknowingly dropped his blanket somewhere along the way. While in the hall, though he caught sight of the phone stand, and curiosity got the best of him. He quickly changed his course, stalking up to the phone and snatched it up, holding the earpiece up to listen…. And it was dead… Totally dead, just like Haru said! 

Damn, at was just like one of those stupid horror movies Shigure always blabbered about. Now all that this picture needed was Black Haru coming at him with a butcher knife. 

Of course the image made him shiver even harder than he already was.

No. NO! There must be a logical explanation! And- "…. Eh…?" Kyou eyes narrowed as he noticed the floor behind the table. Or better yet, what was _on_ the floor behind the table… The phone cord! It'd been disconnected from the jack in the wall! No wonder there wasn't a dial tone! 

Grumbling to himself Kyou connected the cord without a second thought as to _why_ it was unplugged (these things don't just _fall_ out of there, after all!). He then stood, stretched a little and made to go to the other room. He didn't make it two feet, however, when the phone rang, scaring him half to death. Cursing to himself and clutching a hand over his own thumping heart, he picked up the phone and said bitterly into the receiver, "Moshimoshi, what do you wan-"

"SENSEI!!!"

Kyou nearly fell over from the sheer force of the exclamation, his eardrums throbbing in pain. "Mit?"

"Sensei!? WHERE IS SHIGURE THAT BASTARD!!?!?"

Kyou sweatdrop and brought the phone as close to his ear as he dared. "I don't know where Shigure is… he went out and never came back." Kyou quick took the phone away from his ears again, pointing it away from his ear as Mit let out an agonized wail. He was torn between feeling sorry for her and being very annoyed… But in all honesty he was BOTH, and in the end he rolled his eyes toward the ceiling as Mit continued babbling.

"-t needs to be sent to the publishers by the weekend-the snow-can't get there-he has to send it of, he has to-I can't take-where is he-do you know if he's finished-has he sent it already-"

Feeling somehow trapped and panicked, Kyou did the most logical thing he could think of at that moment. He slammed the phone down into the cradle and then yanked the cord directly from the wall, ignoring the bits of metal, wire and drywall that went flying everywhere, and dumped the remained right there on the carpet..

Of course, there were other phones in the house, but something told Kyou that Shigure had a hand in this… Actually, an idiot who knew Shigure would know it was ALL his doing. 

"Mit-chan," his favorite editorial-target. She would be spending most of her hard-earned pay on therapy… if she wasn't already. (A/N: Imagine Mit-chan, cackling while wearing a straight jacket, with little Shigure's dancing around her with Japanese fans. ^__^''' HAHAHAHA!!!)

Exasperated and feeling mentally and physically worn, Kyou soon found himself snug in his kotatsu again, muttering a reminder to himself-to scream at Shigure later…. Sighing contentedly, he reopened his book, found his page, and decided to ignore what time it was… Who cared! Reading… Reading… James Baldwin… James Baldwin…

About five minutes later came the first distraction...

"What are you reading?"

Kyou awoke abruptly to the sound of the voice, jumping slightly. He remained disoriented for a moment before mentally berating himself for nodding off. And for a second he wasn't really sure what had made him wake up. "What…?"

"I asked, 'what are you reading?'"

A vein popped up on Kyou head as he heard the voice (again) from behind. Haru had followed him. It was a wonder the stupid cow didn't get lost on the way. "A book," he said flatly.

Haru padded over to him from the doorway, sitting across from the table as Kyou did his best to just ignore him. "You're reading that for school, aren't you? Tohru said you were overworking yourself." 

Kyou made a face. "When did she saw that?"

"When she came to visit a few days ago," Haru replied as though it were obvious. "Maybe you should sleep, I can see purple circles under you eyes."

(twitch) "Thank you for your unwanted opinion. Now can you _shut-up_?"

"Hn… You know that nothing will stick if you read while you're this tired. Besides, if you fall asleep, you might bump your head on the table. I don't think that would do you any good at all."

Haru's little warning didn't seem set well with Kyou. "Of course I won't," he said cuttingly, "I _need_ to read and be prepared, and I can't if you're talking." Coffee, why hadn't he tried coffee? That would help him, but he hated the taste... Dammit, nothing ever went his way!

"_You_ are just going to nod off again if I'm not around, and I'll hit you in the head next time if I have to." Kyou just grunted, trying to ignore him as best he could. Of course, he didn't want to set off Black Haru, that would make things as bad come. "If you'd actually look at the weather, you'd realize that there's no way we're having school for the next few days."

"I don't care! I have to read, now just go away, will you?"

"…."

Silence for about ten seconds, then…

"Have you looked outside? The snow's piling on really well now."

"I told you, to shut-up."

"I'm not trying to convince you to do anything, I'm just wondering if you'd want to go see it.

He snorted. "Why? Snow sucks."

"I think it's beautiful."

"It's cold…. And _wet_." 'Nothing but frozen rain, and a lot colder.'

To this Haru said nothing… Everyone knew by now how he hated cold, wet days… Hated them…

This time Haru stayed quiet and let Kyou read…

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When Kyou next woke up, it was indeed from something bumping into his head, as he vaguely remembered Haru warning him of "bumping his head on the table."

Only this something happened to be the wall…. A WALL!?

THUD!

"ITAI!"

"Gomen."

'Eh...' Tiredly Kyou looked around, raising a hand to rub his now aching temples. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he realized what exactly was going on. "Haru! What do you think you're doing, dammit!?"

"Carrying you."

Indeed, Haru was carrying him. But not in the dainty, "arms under knee and back", bit. No, Kyou was being carried firemen style, flung over Haru's back, an arm and both his legs being held steady over each of Haru's shoulders. _And_ the baka-oushi had managed to ram his head into the wall (TWICE, the damn klutz!) and-

Wait...

WHAT THE HELL WAS HE BEING CARRIED FOR, ANYWAY!?!?

Automatically he began to struggle regardless of the fact that Haru was presently walking them up a flight of stairs. "What are you doing, baka!? Let me down!"

Haru ignored him, grunting in the effort to keep his balance, which he somehow managed non-too gracefully. "I was wondering when you'd wake up. Please stop moving, or we'll both fall."

Well, of course he didn't stop struggling! But the way Haru was holding him, however, really restricted his ability to move, and if he weren't so tired he would've gotten _loose_ by now, regardless, _damn_! He could only resort to hitting Haru with his one free arm. "Answer the question, or else," he screamed as threateningly as he could manage, feeling around for things he would reach with his elbow, searching for any portion of Haru's back he could designate as potential target weak-spot. Though, threats weren't usually something that bothered the placid Haru, and it didn't seem to be working now...

"Or else what?"

Kyou didn't give him a verbal answer, but mentally answered to himself, 'I've gnaw his bloody arm off by the _should_ if I have to!!'

He was about to proceed to clamp his jaws down on the first bit of black-clad flesh he could come in contact with when Haru suddenly let go of the support he had on the cat's arm. The world began spinning very fast for a moment and he found himself now dangling over Haru's left shoulder, the younger boy with a firm grip around his upper legs.

GLOWER. "Haru… I… _hate_ you…"

"Mm-hum," was Haru's only response before he reached the top of the stairs, undoubtedly trying to ignore the pain of Kyou's fists and elbows digging into his lower back now that it was an easy target (A/N: Okay, ladies, who wants to be Kyou right now? (raises hand eagerly)). "Stop that," Haru ordered lowly, in a tone that suggested that he was starting to get annoyed. 

This made Kyou stop, only for the fact that he really, _really_ didn't want to deal with Black Haru… He very thought made him feel exhausted... But _damn_, what he would give to be awake enough to _kick his ass _right now…

Feeling that Kyou had stopped in all movement (and had actually crossed his arms, glaring at Haru's back in an attempt to burn a hole through it) "Where's your room?"

"I can get there _myself_ if I need to, baka-oushi!"

"You need sleep, and you'll make I run for it."

"Of course I'll make a run for it, idiot! You're treating me like a child!!" He was NOT Momiji!

"You're acting like one."

(twitch) "What are you, a mother hen?"

Haru just walked to the nearest door he saw, turning sideways so Kyou could see the door he was indicating. "Is it this one?"

"That's the _bathroom_!" 'Urgh, no use…' "It's the second to your left, just get there already!"

Carefully following the directions he was given (though he first movements had been to go right, now left), Haru walked over to the room and slide the door open with his foot. Looking inside and finding himself certain that it was in fact Kyou's room (there was a large bookshelf there), he strode inside. He quickly proceeded to lower Kyou into his futon (which he hadn't bother to put away for the day), and in the end made him flop back, his head knocking again the hard wood just missing the futon.

"Gomen."

'Life sucks…' "If you wanted me to _sleep_ why didn't you just leave me where I was! Why even bother waking me up!?" Of course he was making up excuses, but sure as hell didn't feel like being cooperative in any way, shape or form. "It's freezing up here, at list the kotatsu's warm!"

"Baka, if you'd stayed there all you would've earned is a cold (1b)."

Grumble. And deciding not to do anything (waiting for his moment of escape), he just sat there, arms crossed stubbornly.

Haru looked down at him, frowning. He crouched down, holding his head in his hands, looking oddly like a child watching an animal at the zoo, waiting for it to do something interesting. "Aren't you going to sleep now?"

"Iie," Kyou said sharply. "I already told you, it's _freezing_! No way I'm going to sleep when it's freezing!"

Shaking his head, Haru stood and said, "Fine, if you want to be like that. I'll go find you another blanket. Now just get in your futon and go to sleep, okay?" He turned to leave, then paused. "And don't go looking for your book, I hid it." Then he left.

Hid it? 

HID IT!!?? If that idiot hid his book there was NO way he was going to find it again! Even HARU wouldn't be able to find it! He won't remember how he GOT there!!! This was a tragedy!!!

At that point, Kyou had officially had enough, his eyes narrowed at the door in which Haru had disappeared through, his cat ears folded flat on his skull.

At that instant the gears in Kyou's sleep-muddled head began turning as quickly as they could. There was one way to get out of this mess, and that was to loose Haru! Heeh, not an easy trick (in this case and only in this case) unless you know what to do. And he had plenty of time. There was no _chance_ Haru would actually find the oshiire closet anytime soon… He had to find it first, then make it back to Kyou's room.

Now, there were two exits from which Kyou could make an attempted escape so he could go in search of his book. 

One: through the door. Of course he couldn't possibly do that, Haru would see him, and most likely get pissed and go Black on him. 

That only left the balcony!

Kyou, not being one to be afraid of heights, saw no problem with this.

But upon opening the sliding door to the outside, he was met with an icy blast of cold and snow and an accumulation of feet-deep snow on the balcony patio.

Oh, Kyou was going to _hate _this…

'Stop wasting time complaining,' he snapped at himself mentally, 'out that window, Kyou!"

He hadn't expected it to be so slick, though… But it was just a little ice! All he needed was a good grip-yeah, that it! One leg over the side, that's it. All he needed was to make it to the next balcony (Yuki's room), no one kept their window closed in this house.

'I can just make it off this-'

"_Kyou_?"

"NYA!" The not quite shouted but still very startled voice from behind sent a thrill of terror up his spine, Kyou's body automatically going rigid. And before he could even turn around to see who he _knew_ it was, Kyou's hands slipped from their grip on the railing, and he pitched forward with nothing to grab or hold onto for support. 

Of course, something obviously grabbed hold of _him_, because rather than falling straight away he felt a pair of firm hands clamp onto his ankle, stopping his rapid decent with a sudden jerk. For a few seconds Kyou found himself suffering from a slight bout of whiplash.

Then Kyou looked up at what had caught him, glaring daggers at his savior/bane. "YOU! KISAMA!"

Haru gazed down at him, looking almost bored, though grunting in the effort of holding all of Kyou's weight. "Not the smartest move you've ever made, Kyou." Only when Haru spoke could Kyou actually tell he was annoyed.

"URGH! Just help me back up!" He found himself moving around, attempting to reach back up to the railing, to get back inside with no further help from the oushi, but it looked like that wasn't going to be happening...

Haru in turn didn't seem to be appreciating Kyou's movements in the slightest, muttering, "I would if you would just stop moving." 

Of course Kyou couldn't stop moving. One half of his sleep deprived brain said to let the oushi help him. But the other, more stubborn half, said he should kick the younger Sohma's ass and have done with it. 

However, while these two warring sides went at it, perhaps he was fidgeted around a bit too much, because all of a sudden he felt Haru's hands slip. He would never know if Haru simply lost he hold or had dropped him on purpose as icy wind rushing up past his ears, hair flying into his face, then-

__

THWUMP! 

"OOF!" 

C-COLD!!! IT WAS COLD!!!

"KYOU!"

"I-I-I'm g-gonna K-K-ILL YOU!!! K-K-KUSO B-BAKA-O-OISHIII!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Don't come near me, damn you! You've caused enough trouble!"

"I wasn't the one that told you to try climbing out an ice-cover window."

"You're the one that dropped me!"

"You're the one that was kicking too much for me to keep a good grip."

"You let me go on purpose!"

"I wasn't that annoyed, just very close... You're a very annoying person, Kyou."

"_Urusai_!! It would've worked if you hadn't come in when you did!" 

Haru simply chuckled.

Kyou soon realized that Haru found it all quite comical, seeing the neko plummet and hit the deep snowdrift on the side of the house and disappear from sight. He didn't dig Kyou out as much as _drag_ the poor (and highly embarrassed) Jyuunishi in through a window on the first floor (that is after _finding _the right window). But all and all the oushi did a fairly good job. He managing to get Kyou changed into some dry clothes (Kyou managed the dressing part on his own), and had gotten the shivering neko into his futon (along with the extra blanket Haru had gone to find in the first place), a towel draped around his still wet head. Kyou was sitting up now, the coverlet still reaching up to his chin as his body continued to shiver madly in an effort to get warm, the whole while eyeing Haru in case he tried something... _ANYTHING_. If he so much as _breathed _the wrong way so help him…!

"Get away," he hissed, trying to inch away from black-clad oushi that just won't leave him _alone_.

"Just drink the milk, Kyou."

Haru, obviously, had also managed to find his way back to the kitchen… He explained that he'd left himself a trail (Taking fairy tales bit too seriously…) and followed it back up to Kyou's room. 

Kyou's eyes narrowed, his nose scrunching slightly as he leaned forward a few more inches to sniff the steam coming from the mug. "What did you put in it," he demanded suspiciously, eyes going from the mug to Haru's placid face. 

"You think I'd poison it? This is just something to help put you to sleep."

"HA! You admit it!" At the moment he had nothing to brandish besides his index finger, which he pointed at Haru in accusation. "You've finally decided to try taking me out for good! Why, doing it the sneak way? You're training to be a ninja now, aren't you!?"

Haru rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid. I never admitted anything. I just added a bit of honey. It's to help your muscles relax, I make it for Kisa all the time." When Kyou made a noise of disgust Haru reached out disdainfully, grabbing hold of the neko's nose, craning his head upward before thrusting the mug at his mouth. Unable to do anything other than swallow and not wanting to look like a complete idiot with warm milk dribbling down his front, Kyou took it in with one huge gulp, managing not to choke on it. In response to this reaction, Haru smiled cheekily and released him. "There. Taste good?"

(twitch/glare) Rubbing his now aching now, he mutter venomously, "I hate you..."

"I know." He stirred the mug a bit with a spoon, making sure the honey was still nice and melted. "You could get sick if you don't warm up right away, inside _and_ out (A/N: Pity on you if you're thinking hentai thoughts right now), and just as well if you don't get some rest."

"Since when did you become Hatori," Kyou muttered bitterly. "And I'm plenty rested. I just took a nap not long ago-"

"For about four minutes. And you're tired _now_ from struggling out of that snow, aren't you? You fell through like a limp noodle." A hand shot out to restrain Kyou as he tried lugging at Haru, pressing his palm against the neko's chest to keep him at a distance where he couldn't reach Haru's neck. "Now, it's not nice to injure someone how's trying to help a poor, frozen kitty-"

"You're asking for a ripped jugular!"

Haru simply rolled his eyes again and at last pushed the mug into Kyou's hands. "Just drink it and sleep."

Grumbling, Kyou looked down into the mug he now held... He had to admit, it did taste pretty good... So reluctantly he raised it to his lips and took a few gulps, carefully watching Haru the whole time. The other boy looked rather pleased, a shining smile spreading over his face. "Good, ne?"

Grunt.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'?"

"Since when are you _nice_, Haru?"

Haru shrugged. "I'm always 'nice.' You're the one who's always peevish."

"You're the one who's always starts a fight!"

"Excuses."

"_Excuses_!? Who do you think you are!?"

"Yuki, Tohru and Shigure aren't here," Haru said on a matter-of-fact tone, ignoring his question, like about everything else Kyou did (_that_ was starting to piss him off, too!). "They're stuck out in the snow, aren't they? Do you think they'll be alright?" He took the mug from Kyou's hands, stirring it at bit more.

"Of course they will! Stupid question..."

"Just wondering, Kyou."

"You're trying to change the subject!"

"I was worried about Yuki."

"Pffh. Figures…"

Silence.....

"Well," Kyou asked bitterly, annoyed and becoming increasingly agitated with the silence between them. If the oushi was here he'd better damn well SPEAK! He hated the silence, anyway… "Aren't you ticked off or anything?"

Haru blinked. "By what?"

"Of anything! Of _everything_! Getting stuck here in the snow with ME! That you lost your bike! That's I've been doing nothing but yell at you because you're pissing me off every time you even look me in the eye! That Tohru is out there somewhere _alone_ with _Yuki_!" To this Haru blinked. Twice. Was this all the reaction he was going to get!? "Aren't you jealous at all!?"

"You obviously are," Haru commented dryly. Here are you complaining… And how many years has she been around now? Nearly three? And this whole time you haven't made a move..."

"... _What_?"

"A move, as in with Tohru? Baka."

Kyou bristled. Who did Haru think he was...? "That's none of your business," he hissed.

"I was just wondering... If you're so afraid that Yuki might make a move before you, why don't you do anything to stop it?" He smirked (something he found totally unexpected from Haru while he was still White) leaning forward a bit, looking Kyou straight in the eye. "Are you... scared?"

He scowled. "That's none of your business!"

Haru's smirk suddenly vanished, replaced by one of like mild curiosity. "Why won't you open up to me, Kyou-?"

"You expect me to trust YOU-?"

"I trust _you_, why can't you trust me?"

"....."

"I can trust anything to you, Kyou." Haru shook his head, stirring the milk, watching the honey that had surfaced spiral around the bowl. "I remember... Well, I remember a lot of things, when we were little. I could always talk to you... Remember you would always help me? You would lead me to the bathroom when I couldn't find my way..."

Kyou blushed. That wasn't something he liked talking about aloud. It was childish… "cute"… _stupid_… "Someone had to do it. You and your lousy sense of direction..." 

Haru continued on monotonously as if Kyou had never spoken, still not looking up. "You were brutally honest, rash, you insulted me all the time, but still..." Haru shrugged, and Kyou couldn't help the small nag of guilt he felt... "You were being honest, I suppose. But I'm trying to prove you wrong every chance I get."

He wasn't really sure what Haru meant by that, but at the moment his brain was too tired to care. Kyou closed his eyes, leaning back. "Yeah, well, things changed, didn't they?"

"Not really."

Kyou looked up again through one opened eye, where Haru was still starring into the mug, though the motion seemed entirely mechanical now. "What are you talking about?"

Haru frowned a little, looking up. "When Tohru came, everyone got better… Yuki, Hiro, Kisa, even you… I was hoping that maybe we could become friends like in the old days."

"And you thought of this just _now_?"

"I'm just trying to open up to you, so maybe you'll open up to me. Understand?"

'Figures...' He snorted. "Look, nothing you're going to say will make me feel any different. Besides, you're nothing but a hypocrite!"

Haru's brows furrowed at this comment, and for a moment Kyou though he had him cornered. "What are you talking about?"

It was Kyou's turn to roll his eyes. Haru knew exactly what he was talking about! He had to! "You say I'm not making a move on Tohru, but you're doing just the same thing! What about Yuki, huh? You've always been on about him, why haven't _you_ been making a move!? You gonna just let him make a move on Tohru!? In fact, I'm sure he's made TONES of moves already and you don't even know it!"

Grunting, Haru shook his head. "Yuki won't make a 'move', as you put it. Besides, I have my own reasons 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End Part 1 of "White As Snow"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1a) **Kotatsu** is used to warm the body in winter. Japanese keep out cold by using it. Not only humans but also cats also use it. (A/N: It's true! HAHAHA!) **Kotatsu** has an electric heater on the underside of table like frame, and a blanket cover on top of that. Shigure is seen throughout the series (during winter) using this table for heat. The tabletop is placed on the blanket. 

1b) It's a fact that if a person who goes to sleep lying down in a **kotatsu** they will often catch a cold.


	3. White As Snow: Part 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What As Snow: Part 2 "Is It Worth It?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Silence, so much more tiresome than loneliness, is a labyrinth."

Lyrics ~ Blue Seed ~ Carnival Babel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Un...."

Kyou slowly came back to the world of the waking, this time feeling warm. A bit achy and his hair plastered onto his forehead due to sweat, but _warm_…. Almost _too_ warm, actually.

For a moment he wondered why it was so hot... and for one horrible moment the thought that maybe Haru had been right about him catching a cold... But he discovered otherwise when he noticed the futon had been folded over his body snugly, the blanket tight up to his chin, insulating the heat, not to mention he was still fully clothed in cargo pants, dark-green T-shirt and sweater over that. It was hard to believe he had been freezing... who knows how long ago. How long had he been asleep?

Letting out a noise that was the odd mixture of a sigh, yawn and grumble, he tried to struggle out of his sweater at _least_, which to him seemed far too thick and heavy, and tossed it alongside the futon carelessly. 

The bare fragments of a dream still lingering at the edge of his mind, but he would have no way of remembering what it was about until if and when it suddenly comes to him...

Glancing down at his clock (which always lay next to him), Kyou saw he'd been sleeping for six hours… No wonder it seemed so much darker in the room without the added light that came in through the paper walls... But not too dark. The sky was probably still a blanket of dark-gray instead of pitch black and dotted with stars...

That thought sparked a memory... His dream. Yeah... He dreamt about the New Years party that happened a few weeks ago... Remembered the sky, how it seemed somehow darker than most night, probably because it was a new moon that night… 

__

~~~~~ Dream Flashback ~~~~~

Aya strutted around in his ceremonial gown... He enjoyed wearing it far too much, half the time swishing his hips and the other half the time melodramatically insisting --along with Shigure-- upon how "Tori-san" had looked so much better the year before, and how surely Tohru_ thought so as well. _

Haru. Yuki. Tohru... Remembered how Hatori and Tohru had danced as close as they dared... how she blushed despite such little touch... How Hatori smiled... The other Sohma's looking on in disgust, though the Jyuunishi watched with either smiles or indifference.

Tohru had been allowed that year (and the year after that), much to the displeasure of those Sohma's who believed she had no right... But laws could be re-written, words in sentences (spoken or written) can be shaped or molded to fit a different meaning... 

But as Kyou learned later that night, the same didn't stand for all_ rules…_

The other Sohma's, whispering and snickering behind his back, with no care of whether he heard every damn word they spoke. Or spoke directly to his face on how it was such a pity_ that Kyou would be graduating soon and it would be… "that" time, and Kazuma would probably be pleased to have Kyou finally off his hands. _

Kyou remembered how Haru had overheard them and told them to shut the f*ck up if they knew what was good for them. 

Tohru, Kisa and Haru following him out of the main house that night as Kyou stalked off in rage, Kyou yelling at them to just leave him alone, he could deal with it... They all finally stopped and just watching him leave. Kyou vaguely remembered hearing Haru mutter something, a vow, under his breath, Tohru's whispered pleas, and other voices calling to him...

~~~~~ End Dream Flashback ~~~~~

He frowned... What would make him dream about something like that...? Usually Kyou didn't dream at all, and when he did he could hardly remember what it was about when he woke up. Of course when he _did_ remember, he couldn't expect to always dream about something "happy"…

Kyou covered his face with his hands, rubbing vigorously for a moment, actually succeeding in pushing the dream --and memory-- into the back of his mind where it belonged. Who cared, anyway? Stupid dreams, no point in them anyway... Just bad reminders, sometimes…

He sighed, doing a few quick stretches for his arms and spine before flopping backward, arm at his sides, the dream banished from his mind. Or that's what he _thought_... Something things have a way of nagging you non-stop (like some people he knew)... Why the hell did it have to bug him so damn much…? He would go away with Kazuma when he graduated, they had it all planned…

It was as he was lying there that Kyou thought he saw something at the top of his vision… 'What the…?' He tilted his head back a bit and saw... White, black, white, bla-"HARU!"

The boy in question just looked down at him, eyebrows raising in a very casual, lazy manner. Though... starring. Had that jerk been watching him this whole time!? Why didn't he say anything!?

In one motion Kyou was up and turned around to crouch defensively, glaring at the oushi.

Haru was sitting with his legs crossed Indian style, back to Kyou's bookshelf. He held a hardback novel in his hands, which he was now setting aside, face down and open so that his page was marked. Who gave him the right!? To watch him like that, and look at his things! "What are you still doing here?" Kyou then noticed the mug set next to Haru on the floor. It was half full of milk... He had a sneaking suspicious. "You didn't drink that, did you...?"

"No," was the quiet response.

"Oh… don't tell me…" He flopped down, slapping a palm onto his forehead.

"I couldn't remember where the kitchen was exactly… so I didn't bother."

"What ever happened to your little 'trail' of breadcrumbs or whatever?"

Haru shook his head. "It was my spare change, and I decided to pick it up on my way back the first time."

'Figures…' "Fine…" He crawled back over to his futon (Haru always made him feel very, very tired…) "Do whatever, I don't care. Just don't bother me anymore." And he got back into his futon and wriggled around a bit, turning the sleeping mat so he lying on his side facing away from Haru… And for some reason, he could feel Haru's gaze burning into his back… Was he actually staring…? But Kyou decided not to find out. 'Just ignore him… ignore him… igno-'

"Rin."

Okay, maybe that did catch his attention. "Rin?" Kyou raised an eyebrow, frowning as he rolled back over to look at Haru. "What about her? What does she have to do with anything that you have to bother me about _now_?"

"... I take it you... you know her then? I mean, know for besides the New Years celebrations..." There was an unusual amount of... emotion in his voice, Kyou would say... But he couldn't tell if it was sadness or anger... He hoped it wasn't anger, he didn't feel like dealing with Haru in Black mode right now, he was still groggy from waking...

And as for Rin, yeah, Kyou knew of her... Didn't like her at all. She was the horse, the fierce and free-spirited uma of the Jyuunishi (2a). She came by once, and that was all it took to make her hate Tohru. Off all people, SHE didn't like Tohru! Everyone liked Tohru! She even got through to Akito (on some level...)! In the face Rin's harsh attitude and icy gaze, of course, Tohru couldn't possible be angry, and simple smiled every chance she got... Though, Kyou could tell she was hurt, Rin being the only one of the cursed Tohru has yet to meet to ever reject her... 

Of course, to make up for the anger that Tohru wasn't even capable of expressing, Kyou made sure to express it _for_ her.

These thoughts took a second to process, after which Haru was still waiting for an answer. "What about her?"

Haru paused, obviously noticing the disgust in Kyou's voice. He picked up Kyou's milk mug then, and Kyou could've sworn it looked like a nervous motion as the oushi began swirling the liquid around, eyes seemingly unwilling to meet Kyou's "... You know... that we went out for a while, don't you?"

"Oh... no..." But now that he thought of it, they did sound like fairly good match. One cool, calm, yet unpredictable personality to another. "No one's ever mention that." No one ever mentioned that Haru had ever liked anyone beyond Yuki... But all things were possible... supposedly.

"Well, we did," Haru said flatly. "We did... It didn't get out much, I suppose... I didn't want people finding out about it, and Kagura wouldn't tell anyone..." Something flickered in Haru's eyes again, going by too fast for him to catch it. "Rin was the first person I ever had a relationship with... I was surprised when she admitted that she was attracted to me, and in the end I really did love her... I think... then... Before Akito and..."

Kyou visibly grimaced, though Haru wasn't looking up to see it. Akito... He'd found out about... that meant...

'Bastard, Akito...'

"I can't ever forget it, I suppose... It's hard to watch someone you love suffer, after all. I couldn't help but wish I was in her place, taking it all for her... If I tried to get close to Yuki, you see ("even though I don't think it possible anymore"), I think of what Akito might do to him... or me..." His grip tighten in the mug for a moment, then relaxed again... "Yuki's suffered by Akito's hand too much already... I don't like seeing those I care about getting hurt... I think now, that if I got too close to anyone..." He glanced at Kyou momentarily, making Kyou wonder what he was thinking beyond what he was saying... In that head of his that Kyou had always supposed was rather empty, but now he was starting to rethink that... But Haru continued in almost a bitter tone, "But Rin... Rin didn't feel the same way. She didn't want to go through it again. She left at the first chance she could... Transferring from our school, away from me, away from any risk of Akito's wrath... But it wasn't just _that_..." 

There it was again... The emotion in his voice, that flash in his eyes...

"I wasn't _just_ that, though I'd want to think it... I watched over her... I _cared_ for her. The whole time she was in that hospital I cared for her. _Shigure_..." His grip has tightened again, dangerously tight. Until the mug shattered right in his hands the ceramic shards falling into his lap or stayed trapped between his palms.

The action made Kyou jump, startled, before shooting out a string of curses. "Dammit, Haru! Anata baka desu!" Snatching up the blanket he'd been using before he moved over to kneel in front of Haru, grabbing one of the boys hands to press the cloth again the wounds.

He didn't get very far before one of Haru's bleeding hands came out and caught his wrist in a vice-like grip.

Kyou scowled, glaring at Haru to show he was un-intimidated. "Baka-oushi, this isn't the time for your games!"

Black Haru chuckled, starring down at his free bloodied hand while still holding Kyou's wrist with the other, watching blood trickle down his wrist and fade into his black material of his shirtsleeve. 'Disgusting…' 

"Sometimes it's hard to see the difference between the pain on the outside and the inside," Haru mused to himself idly, then looked up at Kyou. "Do you know what she did, eh, Koneko-chan...? As soon as she got out of that hospital, she broke up with me... Just like that." 

He lips stretched into something that was a cross between a smirk and a sneer, clinching both his fists at one time, making Kyou wince, and just barely holding back the temptation of just slugging Haru one right there. Why he held back in the first place…? Damned if _he_ knew. 

"Right there, in class, did you know? No one knows any details anymore, no one will let it get out. Like some big bad _secret_. But I'm _sure_ you heard about that one." His eyes flashed. "They won't talk about _why_ I did it, but everyone still won't let me live it down." Chuckle. "My, how they don't want their f*cking _secret_ getting out in this family…"

Kyou had been in the process of detaching Haru's hand from his person when he froze at these words. Not out of shock, but he needed a chance to really think on that, to remember…

Yeah, he'd heard about it... The event _everyone_ in the Sohma clan had heard about it. 

A few years back, Haru had been in junior high school at the time. Something happened that made him blow up... Blow up like he'd never done before, and he's destroyed an entire classroom, catching a few students and faculty in the crossfire. Kyou wasn't really sure what had stopped him, whether someone was sent in, or if Haru was simply physically exhausted and couldn't go on anymore.

"I was sooo angry...," he continued quietly, and again his grip seemed to tighten. "I was so damn _angry_ that she left me like that."

"Gah!" Wince. "Haru! _Hanaze (Let go)_!" Kyou was going to have a bruise before he'd ever get loose, or worse, his wrist would be _crushed_ to bits! And deciding to go back on his earlier decision, Kyou pulled back his fist to throw a blow into the other boy's face, until Haru looked up at him suddenly, pale-gray eyes catching him off guard. 

And so did a flying punch at his gut, knocking the breath out of him and sending him falling backward onto the floor, curling in on himself to wait for the pain to subside. 

With his eyes squeezed shut for the time being he didn't see Haru move up to him, moving over him with his arm to either side of Kyou, injured palms facedown on the hardwood floor. The first indication that Kyou got of his position and proximity was Haru's hot breath on his ear and whispered words.

"Birds of a feather flock together, eh, Koneko-chan?"

Kyou's eye twitched. "Don't call me that."

Haru smiled, leaning in a bit more. "Why? I think it sounds kawaii-URGH!" A swift elbow caught Haru in the gut. 

"See how you like it, jackass!"

Haru let out a grunt of pain.

And landed flat on top of Kyou.

"Aw, Kami-sama, CHIKUSO (DAMMIT ALL)! Get off me!"

"That... hurt..."

Kyou blinked, looking down to try to see Haru's face, but all he came up with was a face full of messy white hair. "Haru? HARU! Oi! Are you back to normal yet?" He had to be normal, _had_ to! Kyou hit him hard enough!

Haru gave a light groan, looking up.

And winked saucily.

"Afraid that requires a blow to the head," and as though to punctuate that point, Haru was sure to kitten-lick and nip at the tip of Kyou's nose, grinning, "Koneko-chan." 

"GRRRRRAAAWR!!!" He twisted his body to the side at the waist, enough to turn his legs in the other direction, wedging them under Haru. Then with one solid upward movement, he'd thrown Haru right over his head, making him land on his back, knocking the breath out of him even worse than he did before. 

__

(*cough*) "Damn..."

"That's what you get, you sick, psycho freak." One doesn't train for as long as Kyou has without learning a few tricks. HELL no! Kyou whipped the end of his nose hard with his arm, groaning in disgust. "Ugh, that's _disgusting_." Black Haru was almost as bad a AYAME at this point… and that was really saying something about the hentai factor.

__

(*cough*-chuckle) "Heeheehee, you play rough, baka-neko. Be more careful next time."

SCOWL! "Since when are you worried about that, baka-oushi!? What is _wrong_ with you!?"

"I thought we should chit-chat for a change, hm?" Another maniacal laugh.

"Will you shut-up, already? That laugh's _really _starting to piss me off!" Black Haru just shrugged, laying where he was. They both just.., laid there, head to head, one's hair brushing the other. Eventually Kyou crossed his arms, glowering at the ceiling. "You're really annoying today... What are you up to?"

Haru shrugged again, tilting his head up to look at the top of his orange head. "Maybe I realized that even a baka-neko like you and a bishounen-oushi such as myself can have a few things in common."

Kyou bristled. "Pffh... Like what...?"

Haru rolled his eyes, snorting. "You really are an idiot. (Kyou: "GRRRRR!!!") We've both been betrayed-shunned by others who don't understand... People we've loved 've just brushed us away for their own reasons. Ridiculed for being too dangerous. Hearing them muttering about us behind our back."

__

/"You're so cute, Kyou-chan… I'm going to keep you all to myself."/

/"Dai-suki yo (Love you!), Kyou-chan."/

/"Keep away from him!"/

/"He's the neko..."/

/"Honey, don't touch him, its bad luck… No, sweetie, you can't talk to him either…"/

Kyou shivered, shacking the voices from his head…

Silence...

"And you know who she left me for, Koneko-chan...? Shigure... The _dog_."

Kyou wrinkled his nose. "Shigure? (2b) He's always been sure a-"

"Nooo," Black Haru murmured, eyes still clouded in thought. "No-no-no, not at all. Shigure never returned it... whatever signals she was giving he always felt sooo uncomfortable... Very odd sort of thing for a man like him to do, ne?" He chuckled bitterly, lifting up his arms to cradle his head with his hands, entwining his fingers. "I still wonder what the hell she wanted from Shigure-san... Perhaps my taste wasn't to her liking?" Kyou blushed madly to this... Did he mean... urgh... "I wonder, and wonder, and I wonder why, oh _why_ couldn't _I_ be the one to give it to her, hm?" He chuckled again, a low, dark sort of noise that held no humor whatsoever. "That bitch... eh, Koneko-chan?"

That was starting to get bored with this... "Stop calling me that... Stop feeling sorry for yourself!"

Haru ignored him. "And to think, all the things I would've done for her... _With_ her... She was my first lover, you know... All a waste-"

"Then she wasn't worth it!"

Haru look up at this exclamation, mild surprise apparent on his pale features. "Nani desu ka...?" (What was that?)

Kyou sputtered a bit, sitting up. "Are you seriously that stupid after all!? She left you to save her own skin! She isn't worth it! It's obvious, even to _you_! Why aren't you seeing that!?"

Frowning, eyes narrowed dangerously, Haru followed in suite and sat up as well. "Maybe I _do_ want to fight you today… You're not so cute anymore, and you're really are starting to get one my nerves, baka-neko."

Kyou huffed, "Oh _please_. You're the one in denial here, and you've got to just shut-up and accept it!"

Haru huffed as well, mimicking in a mocking sort of way, a smirk once again spreading over his face. "And how do you suggest I do that, _koneko-chan_?"

"For starters, _snap the hell out of it_!" 

With that, he landed a clean, solid hit over the side of Haru's head. He nearly collapsed to his side, only barely landing on his elbows before pushing himself back upright. A moment later, White Haru was blinking at him, looking as dazed and confused as ever. He touched the side of his head tenderly without wincing. "Kyou...?"

Kyou nodded to himself, satisfied as he flexed his hand, smirking at his own _damn_ good ability to throw a left hook, as his right wrist was still smarting. "That should do it. So, now that you can listen to reason... hopefully-"

"My head hurts..."

"It doesn't matter! You should know that Rin isn't worth it! She left you after you giving her all the love you had to give, yeah. Yeah is was a waste! But first off all, stop getting pissed _off_! It's in the past, don't let it smother you, and don't let yourself drown in it!" 'Kami-sama, I know this, too...'

Haru gave a small, sad smile. "Not everyone can be strong like Kana-san (3)..."

"Well... yeah... yeah, but still! _I_ wouldn't leave someone behind! It cowardly! If it's someone you care about, it'll be worth it to stay and take the heat. You don't use someone for the hell of it and spit them out in the end!"

Silence....

"Kyou..."

"... _what_?"

"That's the reason." Kyou blinked, confused. What was Haru talking about...? But Haru continued for him, "I've had a lot of time to think... Not today, I mean, I mean for the last few months... And it's not the fact that this is Yuki, and that Yuki likes Tohru, it's..." Sigh. "Rin... I wouldn't wish that on anyone I love, even if he didn't love me back, and it's bound to happen... It happened to me, Hatori and Kana... Hiro and Kisa... Would you let the one you love get hurt like that...?"

"I wouldn't, I wouldn't let it happen."

"Sometimes you can't help what happens, especially with someone like Akito-"

"Then screw him!" Haru looked up at Kyou, eyes a little wider. Not many people talked about the Sohma house head in such a manner. "What's with this attitude, huh!? When those things happened to you, did you get mad!? What ever happened to Black Haru!? Wouldn't you've kicked his ass or something!? Someone comments on your stupid HAIR and you beat them within an ich of their lives!"

Haru's expression hardened and he muttered lowly, "There is a difference between anger and fear, Kyou... When anger doesn't satisfy... when it didn't, I felt fear... And yes, I did Black out... I only got myself hurt as well..."

Kyou snorted, crossing his arms. His body was beginning to feel very heavy... Dammit... All this talking and such was making his tired... So he moved to the said and laid back on his futon, muttering, "Well, I _still_ wouldn't have left..."

Haru chuckled, though pleasantly this time. What even went on inside that cow's head...? "No, I suppose you wouldn't." With that, he stood, eyeing his own bloody hands and the mugs pieces… 

"Hang on," Kyou said quickly before Haru had a chance to disappear, propping himself on one elbow to watch the other's back. Haru didn't turn around as Kyou spoke, "Why are you even bothering to tell me anything? I mean, what makes you think you'd get any pity for _me_?"

Haru shook his head, sending a pleasant little smile at him over his shoulder. "I'm not asking you for your pity, Kyou. I opened up to you. So maybe you'll open up to me?" This wasn't really a plea. Far from it. It was more like... well, maybe an offer. Pffh, yeah right! Like he needed anything from a cow!

When silence was all that greeted Haru, he took a deep breath and turn once more to go-

"Haru...," came Kyou's reluctant, almost whispered voice from behind. "If it had been me, I wouldn't 've run away..."

Blinking, Haru looked back, as though unsure if he'd heard correctly. "What?"

"I SAID I WOULDN'T 'VE RUN AWAY, YOU FAT OUSHI!" His face was as red as his hair from the embarrassment of repeating that sentence out loud (or louder than necessary), and he rolled over on his side, facing away from Haru in an attempt to hide it. "NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Smiling, but choosing to oblige, Haru left the room, sliding the door closed behind him.

Kyou was left in the dark, wondering what had just happened... He left perhaps a little lightheaded, with was probably due to his own lack of sleep, so he closed his eyes, figuring that he might as well sleep in the end, wake up the next morning...

About a minute later, just as he was about to sleep into dreamland, soft knock at his door brought him back to full awareness. "Wha…"

Haru's head popped in through the door. "Kyou… I need to find the wash closet so I can clean my hands… And I need to find the bloom closet so I can clean up the broken mug."

"…. Baka-oushi…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End Part 2 of "White As Snow"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2a) (A/N: Good gad, I'm not about to explain her in the fic, not am I! ^__~ This information varies from place to place, so I'm not sure if it's inaccurate or not) 

For those few that don't know much beyond the Furuba (Fruits Basket) anime, Rin is the horse (uma) of the zodiac. Though she only appears in the manga, in this fanfic, she appears at Shigure's house, sometime after the New Year of 2000 (the year of the dragon when Hatori preformed before the ceremony for the Jyuunishi). She's mysterious, and little is known of her. She does, however, seem to have an affinity for tight, short, trendy clothing and thigh-high boots (seems like Haru's type). She has a spontaneous, and sometime fulminating personality. 

2b) This regarding Rin, Haru, and Shigure and all events involved actually happened in the manga, or are played off from events in the manga, I did NOT made this up. (sighs) Poor, poor Haru...

3) Well, it's sorta true. Kana at least felt regrets, wishing she could be strong for Hatori when she couldn't. She wanted to protect _him_.


	4. White As Snow: Part 3

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What As Snow: Part 3 "A New Friend"

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"Silence, so much more tiresome than loneliness, is a labyrinth."

Lyrics ~ Blue Seed ~ Carnival Babel

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"Tadaima!"

"Tadaima su!"

"We're back!"

The voices that echoed from somewhere in the house woke Kyou from his slumber... But this time he felt refreshed and _alive_! For the first time in a while to sat up from his futon with a wide grin on his face. He heard more noise from downstairs, recognizing the voices of Yuki and Tohru. So they made it back after all...

Kyou lay back again, deciding to stay there for a few more minutes... And while to lay, his mind travel back to the night before.

Last night he had set up a place for Haru to sleep downstairs, fining an extra futon for him to use. He guessed the oushi was down there now... The thought made him nervous. Maybe he should stay it out in his room...? Yeah, that was a good idea...

Within about twenty minutes he gave up trying to go back to sleep and instead gave into the call of his stomach, which let out a beastly roar. He hadn't eaten a thing since the evening before! Bounding from the room he quickly went downstairs to find the eating room already full of people. Haru was there, too, and he smiled immediately upon seeing Kyou. For some reason that made his chest tighten a bit... he wasn't sure why.

"Kyou," Haru said, "did you sleep well?"

Kyou grunted in response, ignoring the feeling in his chest that was slowly fading, instead turning his attention to the very attractive looking spread of food before him. He sat down next to Haru and started off by literally guzzling down his miso soup (4) which had already been set in a space for him. Haru was eating what looked like plain oatmeal while Yuki watching Kyou with mild distaste, holding a teacup in his hands. Shigure was quiet for once, sitting with a newspaper. "When did you get here?"

Shigure looked up, his eyes peeking lazily over his spectacles. "I was stuck at the post office, so I couldn't get back until this morning. The benches there were horrible to my back." T__T He moaned dramatically, but Kyou only rolled his eyes and went back to eating.

Tohru came in a minute later, and but stopped at the door with a surprised look on her face. Yuki saw this, and asked, "Doushite (what is it), Honda-san?"

"Betsuni (nothing)," Tohru said, looking a little flustered. "Gomen, but it was so quiet, I thought something might be wrong."

"Don't worry so much," Kyou said loudly before moving on to help himself with some fish (Tohru really outdid herself this morning). Then Kyou saw the book in her hands. "Oi..."

Tohru followed Kyou's gaze to the door she held. "Oh! I found this in the rice cooker. You have so many books, I thought it might be yours." She handed the book out to him he took it, mumbling, "It is mine." He suddenly felt it very hard to believe he'd been so worried about the stupid thing the day before. On the other hand.... THE RICE COOKER!!? What sort of hiding place was THAT!?

When he turned to give Haru a meaningful look he instead caught the cow staring at him, and narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"I was wondering if you're going to be busy with your book again."

"Oh yeah..." He'd totally forgotten again... Maybe he should go back to reading... but he didn't feel like it anymore. To think he'd made such a big deal about it the day before. "What about it?"

"If you're not busy I thought we could do something..."

Kyou didn't see Shigure as he peeped out at them over his newspaper, nor the wicked, knowing grin that had spread over his face. No, everyone besides Yuki remind obvious to this, but the nezumi chose to say nothing.

"That's a wonderful idea," Tohru said before Kyou could say a word, then she turned on Kyou, looking very stern, which was a difficult expression for Tohru to pull off. "You've been working yourself enough, Kyou-kun! The weatherman said to was going to snow again tonight, and so you'll have all day tomorrow to story. I hate to see you work yourself so hard!"

Hanging his shoulders, Kyou couldn't think of anything to say, something in his chest fluttered at the thought of Tohru being so worried about him... Kyou raised no protests, and the rest of the morning passed in relative silence, sides a few half-hearted, empty threats passed between Kyou and Yuki, and a few Kyou passed to Haru alone. Things were... mellow that morning, for the lack of a better word, though it wasn't really a bad thing.

When at last breakfast was over, Tohru began pulling things away, and before Kyou could even offer to help Haru was upon him, smiling like he had before.

"Come on," Haru said. "I know what we can do for fun."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'No, no, no, no, no!'

"I'll hate it, I swear, and I'll hate you, too."

"That's not nice at all, Kyou. Just get your boots on and come out." 

Kyou growled. "I don't like going out into the snow... There's nothing to do! This isn't 'fun'!"

"There's plenty to do," Haru countered, nodding to himself as Kyou finally tugged on his other boot with a scowl on his face. "Don't look so pissed off. I'll show you exactly what we do in weather like this." Then he turned and strode out the door, a disgruntled Kyou in tow.

Well, Kyou saw sorta surprised... He refused to say that he was pleased. Just surprised...

Sometime during the night the snow had turned from powdery to heavy before it had stopped falling last night, and it crunched under their feet as they walked over the ground. Kyou saw that the porch had been swept clean, probably by Tohru when she'd gotten back, and icicles hung from the roof edges. And added with the sun --which had finally made an appearance since the storm had begun-- it made the snow glitter where billions of tiny ice crystals caught the light... 

Maybe it was the fact that the sky was blue with a few scarce clouds and a sun rather than a blank sheet of white that made Kyou smile... He made sure to loose that smirk before Haru looked back at him to beacon him on.

He hurried up his pace a little, now standing beside Haru as they headed toward to rock garden. The layer of ice covering the pond had already melted, and it glittered oddly --almost like the snow was-- in the sunlight. It looked very peaceful… Not what Kyou expected… It was still very quiet: there were no birds chirping, no wind, but somehow this silence wasn't as bad as it had been the night before… A pleasant silence…

And then he finally noted that Haru was glancing up at him… again and again. Kyou lifted his head to meet his gave, resulting in Haru looking down quickly. "Ne, Kyou..."

"Hm?" Kyou looked up after sitting down on a large rock on the snow-covered garden. He had to carefully knock the snow off (it's always a pain to get your clothes wet in weather like this, especially your rear). It was freezing, yes, but it was better than sitting in the snow. "What?" Kyou wondered what was on Haru's mind, especially by the way the cow was looking at him.... 

For some reason Haru smiled a little. "Still don't like the snow?"

Kyou grunted. For some reason he thought Haru was going to ask something else... "Maybe.... maybe not."

Haru's smile widened. "Maybe not?"

"That's all you're getting," he growled. He kicked at the snow under he boot for a moment. He didn't like boots... he couldn't move his feet at all, all he could do was wriggle his toes a little. "Besides, you haven't given me much reason to like it, either."

Kyou paused when he saw Haru move from his spot, leaning against a tree... For moment he thought Haru would want to fight or something predicable like that. But instead Haru looked around, found a wide patch of snow, then squatted down began piling it together... Or trying to. He could make a small ball, but he was trying to make a larger one. 

"Baka, what are you doing?"

"I want to make a snowman," Haru said simply, frowning a little as the snow crumbled in his hands again. Haru didn't look at all happy at this, but kept trying. "Kana, Hiro and Momiji would always go out into the snow like this. Akito wouldn't like it at all, but they would keep quiet about it, and build wherever Akito was less likely to see it. We doesn't like walking out into the snow." The snow crumbled under his hands once more as he tried rolling it through the snow. "But one time he did, and he stalked over and crushed it… Luckily Momiji and the others were gone at the time. Right afterwards, I went and found them before they could ever run into Akito, told them to stay away from him, if they could, for as long as possible…"

'Predictable Akito…'

Kyou sighed, then to his own surprise got up onto his feet and walked over to Haru's side. Squatting opposite Haru, he started with the same process as Haru, making one snowball then packing it in more... Kyou couldn't honestly say he'd bothered to make many snowballs in his life... not for fun, anyway. Unless you count trying to piss someone off by punting them in the head with an "iceball" and then ducking for cover. (snicker)

In the end he came out with one, perfectly round snowball... Heeh, it was just like making a really big rice ball, no problem at all! 

Kyou grinned to himself, concentrating on then rolling the snowball along the ground, making it become larger and larger, like a pinwheel shaped hunk of snow. Haru had join him, watching him carefully this whole while, pushing the snow along with him as it became heavier and heavier. 

Kyou grinned, fangs showing, and standing up straight with his fists balled at his hips, almost boisterously so, laughing loudly. "HA! It's easy! No trouble at all!" He laughed again.

Haru smiled again. Why was he smiling at _him_ so much? He only smiled like that for Yuki. It was starting to get creepy… "Arigatou, Kyou. We can both make the snowman, ne?" Kyou shifted oddly at the very thought of doing something as childish as "building a snowman," Haru smirked in a way that make one realize that even White Haru can think plotting, dark thoughts... "You know, Yuki always had trouble making these, too..."

Kyou laugh started dying for a moment... and suddenly he dived back into the snow, starting another pinwheel, his eyes burning. "Start rounding that one, THAT'S gonna be the _middle_!"

Haru blinked, looking down at the snow he was working with... It was already four feet tall! "Ne, Kyou..."

But Kyou wasn't listening, hard at work... And Haru smiled again.

There was more to that smile than most people could see, too... Unfortunately, Kyou was missing it as well.

"Ne, Kyou? Where should we build it? ... Kyou...? What's with that smile again... Kyou...?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was well into the evening when Hatori arrived. When Shigure came back, but reconnected all the phone lines, and was almost immediately bombarded with phone calls from Mit-chan. Shigure cheerfully explained that he had sent in the papers the day before (no worries) and had even fought through a vicious snowstorm to get the task done for her. Mit, however, wasn't willing to believe one word out of his mouth, and would be arriving there as soon as she could to throttle him in person.

Having the phone line back also allowed Haru to call the main house to tell Hatori were he was. After telling Hatori of Yuki's journey through the snow from the food store.

Shigure seemed very please by his sudden arrival.

"Tori-san," Shigure greeted happily, "so nice to see your face again! I've missed you!"

Walking forward, Hatori walked past Shigure (or rather side stepped) and continued on into the sitting room, where the slipping door was left open so that they may watch the cold yet attractive scenery. But it has long since stopped snowing, and the sun was out and half basking the room in its warm grow, swiftly melting the snow that it shown directly upon. "I came to check on Yuki. This weather will do nothing for his influenza."

"Sou ka ne (is that so?)," Shigure said, the smile loosing some of it's intensity, but remain there, strong and true as always. Took a seat across from Hatori, waving a hand at him. "Ma, I'm afraid Yuki's upstairs waiting for Tohru to be done in the bath. After being stuck on a grocery store for a day they feel the need for much cleansing."

Hatori grunted. "There are much greater things to worry about."

"Such as?"

"Kyou."

His smile really did faultier this time... "... oh...? What of him?"

Hatori frowned gravely, eyes looking to the open doors. "I'm afraid the Sohma house leaders have gone to Akito since... since the New Year. Nothing has changed."

Shigure sat up a little straighter. "Nothing's changed...? But Kyou is _different_. We don't reject him-"

"But the rest of the family does. They know he will be graduating soon. And as far as I can tell, Kazuma-san knows nothing about this. I will be informing him shortly, though. We still have time to change things."

This gained a look of surprise from Shigure, then a sly smile. "Tori-san, going over our heads, are we?"

"Baka..."

A scream of rage was heard from outside, and the two turned, somehow expecting to see Kyou and Yuki going at it again (even though Yuki was still upstairs).

But instead they looked to see Hatsuharu run past along the deck (booted feet going "THUMP-THUMP-THUMP" as he went) then jumped off into the snow before continued on without stopping. A moment later Kyou followed in suite, though slipping on some ice-covered wood, but kept his balance while in hot pursuit. They both were clutching onto large balls of snow, chucking them at each at chance any got.

"Come back here, baka-oushi!"

"That's not part of the game, Kyou."

"Like hell it isn't, you're going-" _PUNT_ "-ACK!" 

__

THWUMP!

"I win this match, Kyou-kun." (5)

"Hate.. _snow_..."

"Kyou-kun and Haru-kun," Shigure explained, still watching as the two tussled around in the snow, Kyou not trying to tackle Haru to the ground, "have... been getting along much better since yesterday, I should say. Haru hasn't turned Black at all, but I haven't seen Kyou act at all out of character-…"

Hatori. "Baka…"

"I slipped, Haru, seriously, that shouldn't count!"

"It's your own fault you're clumsy, 

"SHINE, OUSHI!!!"

"… at _all_." He let out a hearty laugh, nearly falling back. "Still yelling, cursing, brooding. insulting, though I'd call _that_ teasing, myself." ^_~v

Hatori just rolled his eyes at him, then looked out at the snow. Memories of falling snow... He smiled... until Shigure looked back to him, and it was gone. He said, "Would this explain that ten-foot cat snow sculpture out front, Shigure?"

Sweatdrop. "Ten-foot… what...?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside…

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Shigure scratched the back of his head. "Er... maybe it will ward off evil spirits?"

"I think that would scare off most anyone," Hatori said flatly, looking at how the branch-arms had been carefully selected to make very vicious looking claws.

"Hehehe, yeah..."

Oh course, Tohru had found it very creative and cute. She made sure to take multiple photos before it could melt.

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Several hours later Kyou and Haru found that time had past far too quickly. Hatori had finished up checking Yuki, and Shigure had his fun torturing the seahorse. Now it was time for him to go back to the main house, and take Haru with him. Kyou felt annoyed with this, actually....

"Time to go back to the main house already?"

Haru smiled at this sentence. "Will you miss me, Kyou-kun?"

(twitch) 'Kyou-_kun_?' "I was just asking!"

A small laugh. "Hai. Hatori can take me back without risk of me getting lost of the way…"

Hatori was watching them from the car, arms crossed and leaning against the vehicle on the driver's side. Shigure was standing with him, chatting away, though Hatori didn't look like he was listening.

Tohru came from the house, followed by (to Kyou's disgust) _Yuki_. "It was so nice having you, Hatsuharu-san," she said sweetly, coming up to Haru and bowing. When she stood she clapped her hands together excitedly, practically glowing. "You have to come more often."

Haru smiled, bowing in kind. "Yes, I think I will."

Yuki gave a small smile as well, though didn't look at Kyou at all. Maybe he didn't want to start a fight today… Or maybe he was intimidated by his "snowcat" (heeheehee).

After chatting for a few minutes, Tohru bounced past them to say good-bye to Hatori and Yuki went back to the porch to wait for all of them, sitting with his legs crossed, observing. Kyou didn't like that at all, but did his best to ignore to baka-nezumi… He had more… important things to deal with.

"Kyou-kun?

Speaking of which…

Kyou crossed his arms, looking Haru hard in the eyes… "You're not mocking me with this stupid "Kyou-kun" business, are you? You starting to sound like Kagura all of a sudden."

Haru shook his head. "Iie." (No)

Kyou starred for a few more seconds… then held out his hand. 

A sign of peace...

Haru looked at the pre-offered hand for a moment before taking it. 

And pulling Kyou toward him so he could peck him on the cheek, and the brushing of something else that Kyou couldn't identify, but... Haru pressed their cheeks together, Haru's skinning feel warn again his chilled flesh.

"Ja ne, Kyou-kun."

"…… what the…?"

Before he even knew what was happening he heard the sound of a car door slamming shut, and blinked back into reality to see Hatori's car driving away.

"What… WHAT!? HARU!!!" What just happened!?

"Hohohoho, Kyou-kun no kawaiiii desu!"

To Kyou's horror, Shigure was there, _watching_ him, a hand to his mouth as he chuckled giddily. Tohru was by his side, blushing bright red. Kyou spun around to look at Yuki, who was also starring with equally wide eyes, mouth actually _agape_.

(TWITCH) "What are you all looking at!!?"

"Ma! Ma!" Shigure chanted, "Kyou-chaaan, you're _blushing_!"

(TWITCH-TWITCH) "Kisamaaa… It's just damn cold out here, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!" And he stormed past them all, Shigure still cackling, and Yuki and Tohru watching him go, Tohru happily mentioning how happy she was to see that Kyou and Haru's friendship with each other was deepening so nicely...

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To be continued in... "Epilogue: The Perfect Ending or the Perfect Beginning?"

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4) It's a fish-based soup that's commonly seen in Japanese meals, including the traditional breakfast.

5) For the rules of their snowball fight, the first person to trip, loose their foot, or fall into the snow, looses. Well, that's the fun way to do it, anyway. ^__^ Only for those who _really _like a good, tough snow-fighting match!

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READ and REVIEW, please! ^_^'

It sucked, I know. (BLUSH) So you know, this was my first shot at a yaoi, though I'm a strong believer in canon writing. I don't like jumping into things. I wanted to give Haru a REAL reason to love Kyou, and Haru loved Yuki for what he said to him when he was young.

I can't believe I even **_wrote_** this... and this file is about 40 pages long, too. 

I made it mostly in Kyou's POV, anyway. If and when I actually post the sequel, I'll have more of Haru's POV, definitely. ^__^ Lots of EVIL Haru! Haru and Shigure are my FAV characters! And I really respect Kyou a lot, and his character is excellent to work with, what can I say?

The Sequel will contain more on the New Years party of 2001, where it was Aya's turn for the Jyuunishi celebration (can you _imagine_ how he would act in an outfit like _that_??? ^__~) and exactly what happened to make Kyou so angry.

I can't honestly say whether this is yaoi or not, it depends on the way you look at it. I'm also wondering whether to make the sequel yaoi or not, but I'm not sure! Tell me what you think.

Please ask to be on a mailing list if you wish to be informed when it is posted. (shrugs) Some people want to know, and if you do, just say so.

IF ANYONE IS WILLING TO BE A BETA, let me know!!! Though I have a few in mind, if you can, it's always great to have backup!

Geuna~


	5. The Sequel

This is the end of "**White As Snow**", a sequel can be found called "**Black As Pitch**". ^__^ In order to find the story you may have to go to the updates page of the site and look up Fruits Baskets new stories. Sometimes it'll take too long to show up on the actual sight. (sighs)

Thank you to authors **Synammon**, **TasukiNoBaka**, **dizzi-izzi**, **GreenLady**, **Eternal-Kelpie**, **Venom's** **Savior**, **Fem** **Scorpio**, **Yamatoforever**, **aiwa**, and anonymous reviews Tamora, maggs, Polka dot:, mimerz, "fangkid03", Midori, Rae, and Lantana.

And special thanks for **Fem Scorpio**, because she wrote Jade, and she's what I would consider a shero! ^___^

Special thanks to **Yamatoforever**, who paid such close attention to the plot that I'm emotionally touched. (sniffs) you're review, thankfully, was forwarded to me via email instead of me never getting it from ff.net. ^__^ Lucky! And also **Synammon** for being the first to review as well as being the first to mention my attempts for canon. (sniffs) Thank you... T__T

And as far as Kyou's graduation... let's just say they don't give him the chance to graduate... (sad face) Akito may hate the cat, but he isn't the only Sohma out to lock up Kyou. And in the end, even Kazuma may not be able to stop it alone... 

You'll have to see, but that will happen in the fourth arch. The second is being posted now. 

Your support has meant a lot to me, and I think you for it. (hugs)

Geuna~ 


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